Shattered Truths
by Thouwhocannotthinkofaname
Summary: The battle under central has finished, and Al has come to recover his body... But what happened to Ed? Several pairings, just read to find out! Female Fem!Ed Edward
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Buh buh buh new series! This is my first shot at a gender-bender and a fem!Ed, so please rate and review! Thanks all!

(Set after chapter 105 of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga, by Hiromu Arakawa ©)

A quick overview for those of you enjoy Fullmetal Alchemist as much as I do, but have only watched that anime or are not full way through the manga .

Al and Ed return to central Amestris after learning of the homunculus's plot to turn all of Amestris into a single philosopher's stone, and so move into central to find the center of Amestris, and the "Father" of all humonculus—the original. They reach the center, overcoming a conflict between Colonel Mustand and Envy meanwhile, and find Hoheheim already engaged with the "Father". During all of this, above the "Father's" lair, all of central is in turmoil as the infantry from the Northern Military base "Briggs" arrives to support its commander Major General Olivier Mira Armstrong, and together the Major General and Major Armstrong defeat the homunculus Sloth. The entirety of Central's Military is usurped by a rogue group consisting mainly of Briggs and defecting central soldiers, and they manage to contain and incarcerate the corrupt military leaders. Fuhrer King Bradley follows them, and engages with Scar, whilst the Xingese immigrant May helps in the defeat of "Father" as much as possible. Mustang is meanwhile forced to pay the gates passage fee to become eligible as a "sacrifice" and loses his eyesight as recompense for seeing the truth. He is then dumped into the middle of the fight between "Father" and Pride. The Father renders all of the alchemy in Amestris unusable and continues to delay the combatants. The moment the solar eclipse is fully underway; Father reveals the center of Amestris and of his circle as being his lair, and uses Pride to bring all of the sacrifices into place to trigger the circle. All of Amestris is instantly removed from their bodies and turned into a philosopher's stone which he uses to open the gate and capture the truth, or God, inside of his body. He shows his true power and attempts to kill them, but is resisted by Hohenheim aided by the rest of the sacrifices. Above them, Scar finishes off Bradley, and just as the rest below are about to be obliterated by a miniature sun, he moves to an inscribed transmutation circle and uses his new-found power of reconstruction (left arm) to trigger the counter circle and restore alchemy to the country. Hohenheim reveals to Father that many years ago he hid some of the souls of his philosopher's stone inside in preparation for this day, and releases them, freeing the souls from Father and returning them to their bodies. Edward and the rest of the sacrifices them move to kill Father, and as such, chapter 105 ends.

Though the manga has ended here, in my story I'm going to assume they won, but that the defeat of father and using the philosopher's stone had its repercussions ;)

Also, if you'd like to read the manga, it can be read at:

onemanga[dot]com/Full_Metal_Alchemist/

mangafox[dot]com/manga/fullmetal_alchemist/

mangavolume[dot]com/serie-archive/mangas-fullmetal-alchemist/

to name just a few ;)

**Disclaimer: I do not in any way shape or form own Fullmetal Alchemist! I may only wish so!**

Ed walked slowly down the main streets of central, so deep in thought he was oblivious to all of the whispers and odd looks he was attracting. Every once in a while he would stop and hear a whispered, "What does they think they're doing! Dressing up like the people's alchemist and parading through central—if you asked me they should be punished for an act like that!" or something similar. Whenever she caught a glimpse of what these people were thinking, he would just smile to himself and continue walking. In fact, he didn't care at all what they thought, because soon this person they were whispering about wouldn't exist at all.

None of the "survivors" of the Father's attempt to trap God could quite believe what had happened that night, but all had adjusted to the new facets of their life. Father's defeat could not have been called "smooth" or "efficient", but it was effective in permanently removing the original Humonculus from Amestris, if not the world.

_Has it really only been a week? _Edward thought, _What with all that has happened, it felt like an eternity. He really didn't want to give up, and for me, it almost has been. _Smiling to himself.

_Ed, Izumi, Hohenheim, and Al,had all stood before the Father's demolished throne. Ed took a step forward from the rest. Speaking his words loudly and clearly, brandishing his automail fist._

"_You've gotten away with too much, you freak. Alchemy is revived! The counter-attack begins!"_

_And with that they all charged toward his, earthen fists and spikes seeking to bury themselves, all figures darting forward to attempt to land blows. Izumi was first to do anything, a swinging kick landing a glancing blow on his left side. He pivoted on his right foot and swung his arm forward, trying to catch her with his fist. Izumi ducked it easily and landed two punches in the center of his chest before darting to the left to land another on his temple. Except it never landed. From the left side of his head erupted an iron spike, piercing her hand and driving her back. Father lunged forward again, swinging a fist in an uppercut motion and catching Izumi in the stomach, launching her back into a struggling Mustang. Hohenheim seized the opportunity, and clapped his hands to the ground causing spikes and fists to emerge from the ground surrounding Father. Vaulting the spikes with ease he turned again to Al's armored fist coming to intercept his gut mid flight. Catching the fist, he clapped and arm to it and it compliantly fell off, leaving a wide hole in Al's side. His armed darted quickly inside Al's armor, seeking the blood circle he knew he would find within. A smart pain erupted from the back of his head as he felt a small throwing knife buried in the back of his head, and similar pains acknowledged themselves as he felt four others bury themselves in his legs and arms. Red sparks consumed the majority of his back, forming a five pointed star inscribed within a pentagon and binding him in place as May moved to slice at his neck with a remaining knife. His twisted his neck sharply to the right, breaking the proportions of the circle and freeing himself, then darting forward and heaving Al into the airborne girl. The two collapsed on the ground in a jumbled heap, as Hohenhiem again tried to intercept the humonculus with a volley of fists and spikes, once again only to find them destroyed and dodged. He ran forward towards Hohenheim, dodging varies constructs and quickly closing the gap. He was a mere foot from the man when a spike emerged immediately in front of him, causing him to take a step back into a spontaneously generated wall. He clapped and placed his hands to the wall, hearing a cry from Hohenheim as a box of pure and untransmutable carbon erupted from the other side, encasing him._

"_Time's up asshole!" Edward yelled as he sprinted in from the left, placing hands on the ground and bringing his left leg up into the center of Father's jaw, launching him into the air above the walls. The moment his hands met the ground, a pillar erupted, and Edward used the momentum to launch himself up and off of the ground, his automail transforming into a short blade as he moved his hand along it. He drove the short blade halfway through the flying humonculus's chest. Dark eyes grew humorous as he moved his hands down to encompass the blade buried in his chest._

"_Not quite." Red sparks moved down from the Father's forehead and into Edward's chest as he tried to break free, eyes widening in shock. As soon as the sparks had come, they were gone, and so was Ed's arm. He stared and the marred lump of skin were his automail had been seconds ago, now only the bare stump so reminiscent of all those years back. His limp body fell towards the ground, barely caught by the now restored Al._

_Izumi moved in for another attack, clapping her hands together and forming a long spearheaded pole. She again moved to engage the humonculus, arms flashing as the pole moved from one pose to the next. All watched in wonder as he was hit by blow after blow, long gashes appearing across his body. With one deft movement she separated his head from his shoulders. _

_Advancing towards the rolling member, Izumi clapped and shortened the pole-arm into a broadsword, preparing to remove the red stone from his head. _

"_Last words, 'Father?'' She sneered at him, as she drew the sword up to rest on her shoulder. "I never thought it would come down to this… But then who thought you'd turn Amestris into a philosopher's stone?" _

"_I've found there are a lot of things you humans do not consider." Father murmured even as she felt strong arms tighten around her. In horror, she stood there as the rolling head began to generate a neck, and then a chest and arms, until it was a complete replica of the body restraining her. "I didn't want to resort to this, it's rather draining you know." He stated in a 'matter-of-fact' voice. But since it's already done…" The headless body drew back away from her so that it was only restraining her with a single arm. The other began to sharpen and lengthen into a long spike from the elbow up. It turned black as the carbon condensed and compacted at the surface, a power reminiscent of Greed. The spike drove towards her back, even as a metal blade sliced through the arm restraining Izumi. Almost simultaneously, a metal spike emerged from the center of the dopple-ganger's chest, and then another flash as Ed returned his leg to normal. Al, wielding Ed's still transformed arm, separated the upper half of his body from the lower half, before turning towards the real humonculus. He clapped and ran forward, Ed's arm lengthening as he did. _

Oh man, Ed's gonna destroy me for ruining his arm, and then Winry's going to murder Ed for hurting her handiwork._ Al thought, while he cleaved the man's arm from his shoulder, and swinging again as is began to regenerate. Izumi again darted in, and stabbed her fingers into the back of his skull, in an attempt to find the stone. Trying to buy her time, at stuck Edward's arm through the man's neck, and then withdrew to make several more frenzied stabs at its chest. The moment her fingers brushed it, red sparks left the hole in her head, sealing her hand in as they disappeared. He turned and punched through Al's breastplate, trying to find the blood seal he knew he'd find inside._

"_Get away from Al, bastard!" Ed yelled as he brought his leg down heavily on Father's arm, tearing through it at the joint. Father turned and gave him a tired look, grabbed Ed's leg, and then brought his leg around to kick them both away from him, ripping Ed's automail leg from the scarred stump. He turned back to Izumi, smirking as he held her in place and received a gratifying 'pop' from her now dislocated shoulder._

_She gritted her teeth against the pain, and brought her other hand around in an attempt to cleave the head again. He deftly caught her hand, and sharpened his other into a blade, cleanly slicing through the hand buried in the back of her head. As she let out a cry and stumbled back, clutching at her stump, he absorbed the hand into him, and then turned and kicked her hard in the stomach, rewarded again with a satisfying *crunch.*_

_Broken back and severed hand, Izumi lie 40 feet from the main events, attempting to stop the bleeding before she blacked out. _

"_Teacher!" Al yelled, and charged madly towards the man, swinging his fists in an attempt to harm the humonculus. The man dodged all of his punches easily, and darted around Al, plunging his fist into the armor's lower back, disregarding the dull 'thunk' from inside._

"_Is it here..?" He muttered, as Al's arms spun around to grab the man. "Boy, you don't realize how easy you're making this, do you?" He mocked, as he ripped Al's arm's from their sockets. "You human's just never learn." He said, as he ripped Al's breastplate off._

"_On the contrary, Sir Asshole, humans have an almost limitless ability to evolve." Ed retorted, as he sprung from Al's open chest, driving his dismembered arm clean through the middle of the Father's forehead. Both teenagers watched with wonder as a pure and round crimson stone popped from the back of the Father's head._

"_This… I… won't… No…!" Father shouted, even as his body turned to dust and fell among the weary and battle worn comrades._

_Ed toppled from his lofty perch in Al's chest, and tried to crawl towards the fallen stone. "We did it Al, here it is… But do we want to use it?"_

"_You can use it… But if you want to restore yourself, you will have to reconcile all of the thousands of souls encased inside of it." Hohenheim said, as he walked from a hole in the box he had been trapped in. "Though I think I can speed up the process, considerably." He smiled. Hohenheim moved to sit next to Ed, and then propped him up against his own side. With a look of pure concentration on his face, he lowered his gaze to the crimson stone, and reached a hand towards it. "Help me just once more comrades…" He whispered as his fingers brushed the stone. A handful of souls rushed from his chest into the stone, leaving it shaking for a few moments. "There were already a few of my agents at work," He commented, "I poured a few into him the moment before he revealed his new form. I don't think he knew they were still there." Abruptly the stone glowed a deeper crimson than ever before, and then exploded._

_Ed's eyes grew to the size of melons before he found his voice. "What the fuck did you do you goddam horseshit! That was the only philosophers stone we'll ever see, and you just blew it up you fucking fuck! How in hell was that supposed to go over well?"_

_Edward was turned to his father as he spoke, so he didn't see the light emanating from the spot where the stone had previously been. He followed his father's gaze toward the stone, and the light suddenly became blinding and overwhelmed them all._

_

* * *

_

_When he came to, Ed saw only whiteness. _Am I dead?_ He wondered, and then made an attempt to stand up, whereupon it became painfully obvious that his automail was gone. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." He muttered as he turned himself around with his left arm. A humongous black gate with a grinning silhouette stood before him. He tried to scoot away from the figure, but never seemed to get any further from the demoic entity or the ominous portal. The gate did not open. The figure did not move or respond. "Well? Are you going to take your passage fee, or am I stuck here?" Again no response, until a startling thought struck him. "Am I dead? Answer me goddam it!"_

_The moments those words left his mouth, Al, Izumi, Hohenheim, Winry, Colonel Mustang, and Lieutenant Hawkeye were all deposited in front of him. Now the figure spoke._

"_Each of you have been here before, with the exception of two." He addressed Hawkeye and Winry specifically, speaking in an even monotone. "The two of you are here because you share exceptionally strong bonds with several of those here. Winry." He again turned towards Winry, who looked startled to have her name spoken to her, and very disoriented. "Both Edward and Alphonse considered you when they opened the gate. I have decided that because of this, you are intertwined enough to be here. You, Riza, are the only person Roy has ever considered opening the gate for." Stepping away from the group, the demonic smile appeared inside silhouette's head. "Now you will be judged by those of the philosopher's stone. Good luck." He laughed._

_The large black gate opened, and black arms reached out to grab the Colonel, drawing him inside, and a single other arm reached out, and took Riza in with it._

_Inside of the gate, Roy opened his eyes to see a stadium, full of some ten thousands of people. _Wait. _"I can __see__ them! I can see!_"_ Roy yelled to the crowd, who stood and began to clap. A desk appeared in front of him, along with a chair at his back. He recognized the furniture._ _He grabbed the back of the chair and drew it out. _This is the Fuhrer's desk!_ He thought confusedly as he look back up to the crowd of people._

_One voice rang out among them, just barely loud enough for him to hear. "Will you accept the throne of Amestris, Colonel Mustang? If this is what you want, then sit, and tell us why you deserve to return to the land of the living, and why you should retain your sight."_

_Roy looked at the seat for a long time. _Am I ready for this? Will I be a good leader? Do I have enough experience?

_ Questions barraged him, drilling deep into the topics he had always been unwilling to address. Then he realized that he wasn't the one thinking them, the crow of the stadium had been yelling these questions to him. "Will you know what to do? Will the men of the military respect you? Will your staff… Will your friends move with you?" Roy stopped. He glared at the seat for making him answer a question like that. He opened his mouth to respond, ready to voice his answers to the crowd. "I am re-"_

_

* * *

_

_Ed stared at the gate Mustang had disappeared through. "Why was he taken? What's happening?" Edward questioned, as he directed the majority of his talk towards Hohenheim._

"_To be honest I'm not sure Edward, the gate works in mysterious ways, I don't even know what is happening."_

"_Shit, what's going to happen to the rest of us-"_

_Ed was cut off as the portal opened, and a slightly dazed looking Riza Hawkeye was spewed from its depths. _

"_Lieutenant Hawkeye! What happened back there?" Edward questioned, looking to her to also answer the unasked question of the Colonel's welfare._

"_As I understand, I'm not supposed to tell you Edward, but I think Roy's going be fine." She replied with a small smile._

_

* * *

_

"_I am ready." Roy stated to his audience, as he seated himself in the high backed wooden chair. Immediately, a small flash appeared in the audience, and the questions all at once halted. "I believe that our military is in dire need of a reconstruction and weeding, and I also believe that I am the one best suited for the job, if not only the one most readily available to do it."_

_He continued to tell the audience of his plans to reshape Amestris, and how he would reduce poverty and other such attributes in the country. He continued for what felt like hours, until one member of the audience raised his hand, motioning for him to stop._

"_That is all, Colonel. We have listened to your case and found you worthy of the gifts we have bestowed upon you, and wish you all luck in leading the nation of Amestris."_

_Mustang raised his hand, silencing the speaker. "No, before you heal me, I wish you to heal my subordinate. 2nd Lieutenant Jean Havoc has served faithfully under me for many years, and was hurt helping to protect me… I could not go back with a good conscience, _even though it's not something I consider often_, knowing that I put my well-being ahead of my subordinate's… Ahead of my friend's."_

"_Your request will be… noted."_

_The gate opened behind him, and he tumbled through, vision going pure white once more._

_Roy returned from the portal, and after answering many questions asked by all members of the group (from which they learned very little, as he only told them that he could now see), Izumi was suddenly drawn through the gate. It was a long wait, with Al and Ed knowing that one of them would be the next to confront whatever was on the other side of the gate, and Winry apprehensive for wondering what would be done with her. Several hours later she was abruptly spit back into their presence, a solemn face and lighter gate, only telling them that she was reconciled, and that her organs had been restored. Even though she had returned, the black arms of the gate had not, and all were waiting for the moment they all knew was fast approaching. But it did not come. Suddenly the silhouette stepped forward and addressed them._

"_The philosopher's stone may only be able to treat one more of you… Between the three of you, you have to choose one to go, or mutually decide not to enter the gate. Make it quick." Without another second to waste, Ed used his one leg to kick Al towards the gate, a metallic thud resonating in the air._

_Ed swore under his breath as he held his aching foot, Al worriedly checking to see if his brother was alright. "Al, stop worrying about me and get over to that gate!"_

"_But Brother, we agreed that we'd both get our bodies back together! I can't go without you!"_

"_It said may all, __may__, now we can only go one at a time, so get over there!" Ed tried to kick all over towards the gate again, but lost his balance and fell on his face. With everyone else stifling laughs, Hohenheim stepped forward._

"_I won't lie to you Alphonse, I want my body back as much as either of you, but you should be the one to go. At least as a father, I can still see my sons happy."_

"_Ya Al, what the asshole said. You're going to go first."_

_Al shook his head, "I'm not going in without you Brother, no matter what you say." Al said adamantly._

"_Then he won't say anything…" Hohenheim said quietly as the gates began to materialize. He leaned forward and smoothly punch Al in the breastplate, knocking him back towards the gate. Without question, the small black arms swallowed him into it, and within seconds the gate too was gone._

* * *

_Al looked around. He was in a pure white and empty space, with no one and nothing around him. "Brother? Master? Winry? Hello!" He shouted out, not hearing an echo or anything else indicating any type of material around him, much less a wall. He sat down and waited, sure that eventually something would come. Al was not disappointed, as in a few minutes he saw a small figure in the distance. The features were so far undistinguishable, but the figure did not seem to be too tall or well defined. As he approached Al could make out long blonde and unkempt hair that fell to about the shoulders in a ragged mess, sticking up and arcing back over a pale and somber face, and then cascading down around a scrawny chest and small shoulders. Alphonse was amazed that the teenager—That he obviously was, for his broadening shoulders and little stubble on his face—Was standing, let alone walking; the skin over his ribs was stretched so taught it looked as though you could poke a finger through it. And then it hit him, that he had seen this same boy hours earlier in front of the gate, and forsaken him for the sake of his friends back in Amestris. Al sunk to his knees again, arms outstretched towards he boy, motioning to bring him into an embrace._

_"I promised I'd come back." Al murmured, drawing the small fragile boy in to look him over. Looking about 15 and standing a little taller than Ed, Al's body looked as though it had only had enough food to  
survive in it's possession, and then had decided to go without. The boy looked him in the eye sockets, a they remained in that position for several minutes. Slowly and hesitantly, the boy raised his arms to be on either side of Al's helmet, and raised it off of the chasis of the armor. The boy gazed at the seal for a moment, before he stretched out his hand toward the bloodseal, lightly brushing it with tips of his fingers._

_"I would be proud to be your container, noble soul." the boy said, as he pressed the tips of his finger to the top of the seal, and dragged them through it, leaving deep furrows. The seal exploded in a flood of alchemical light, blocking out his vision, and causing his eyes to burn with pain._

_"Wait… they… __hurt__."_

* * *

_Ed was impatiently twiddling his thumbs and glancing around apprehensively, expectant for Al's return. "Where the fuck is he?" Ed shouted, angry at his brother's blatant lack of concern for everyone else's feelings._

"_Yelling about it doesn't mean he'll hear it Fullmetal…" Roy mused from his place on the floor (if that's what you can call the material portion of the whitespace…). "Just wait and he'll come back just like the rest of us…"_

"_Shut up Colonel Shit, I'm not an idiot." Ed yelled back at him, "I just want Al to get back soo-" Ed was cut off mid sentence as Al materialized near the group._

"_Al! What happened? Why are you still in the armor?" Ed shouted at Alphonse's blank eye sockets. When his questions seemed to warrant no reply, he shook the armor. "Al? Alphonse! What the fuck happened to you?"_

_The gate had still not disappeared, but all were watching Ed as he tried to rouse Al, so none of them noticed as a fairly small boy slipped from the doors of the gate and made his way over to the group. He stood behind them, and peered through their midst to the proportionally giant armor between them. _

"_Was I really __that__ big?"_

_It took them a second to place the voice without the metallic ring, and they all turned about slowly, aside from Ed, who took a while longer to scoot his torso the 180 degrees. They all gaped at the small boy packed between them; everyone had seen Al once or twice in separate photographs, but this was a completely different scenario. The boy was not the skinny sack of bones that Ed and Al had seen in their different visions, but a toned and handsome boy that looked like Ed in many ways—many of which were simple things such as the creases in his forehead and the definition of his face. His skin was still pale, his hair long and un-trimmed, looking about ready to collapse; but there was a hope in his eyes that made Edward glad to see his brother as happy and content with his new body as he was._

"_Um… Yes… Al…" Ed was the first to speak, and then tried to move into a kneeling position to get a better look at his brother. His brother grabbed him by the elbow and tried to support him, though Ed's head still only came to about stomach height. He looked up his brother, and sighed. "It looks like you really did outgrow me Al… I'm never gonna live this one down…" _

"_It's okay, brother, I'm sure you'll catch up now that my body's not relying on you." Al said, and released Ed's arm unconsciously, letting him topple back to the floor. "Oh! I'm sorry brother, I didn't , mean to…"_

_The Colonel and Hawkeye chuckled at the two, while Izumi and Hohenheim just watched the two brothers with a bemused smile playing at their features. Al and Ed glanced over towards the group, and his mouth fell open when his eyes came to rest on the Colonel._

"_You really shouldn't stare like that Fullmetal, it's unbe-"_

"_- Holy fuck, Colonel! Can't you feel that?" Ed interrupted as he kept staring at Mustang._

_The Colonel glanced down at himself and found nothing out of the normal. "What are you talking about Fullmetal?"_

"_Look at your damn arm!"_

_This time everyone turned their head to look at mustang's arm, which was beginning to dissolve in small stream of matter leading off to the nether. Their eyes flicked back to their own bodies, and found that they were being similarly disassembled, and began to panic. Winry looked to Ed with a wide look in her eyes, comprehending the implications of their return to Amestris._

"_Ed, what's going on! You haven't gotten your arm back!"_

_Ed just smiled very uncharacteristically back at her, a look of serene acceptance on his face. "Alphonse has his body back… That's all that really mattered... At least now I can live without regrets."_

"_But Brother, we promised we'd get our bodies back together! I'll give my body back if it means you have a chance at getting yours back!" Al yelled back at him, distress clear in his soft voice._

_The calm look in Ed's eyes turned to one of stern command and pure venom dripped from his voice as he spoke back to his brother. "I swear Al, if you even _think _that EVER again, I'll leave and never come back so you won't even have to think about me ever again! That has to be the stupidest thing you've ever said, and there's no way I'm going to let you give it back."_

"_Well then, that saves me some trouble." The grinning silhouette said from his familiar seat in-front of the gate, the all so frequent grin marring his indiscriminate features. "Times up."_

_One by one, they began to dematerialize completely and move back through the white to where-ever they had been before. Edward just sat while he watched his brother move towards the silhouette and attempt to grab it by the shoulders. He shook it brutally and demanded it open the gate again and return his brother's arm and leg to him. Hohenheim moved towards him, and grabbed Ed by the scruff of his shirt, bringing him towards Alphonse and the phantom. Gently, he moved his hand to Al's shoulder and pried him from the silhouette. Closing his eyes and reaching deep within his body, he thrust a hand inside his own chest and pried out another pure crimson stone._

"_I'm sorry Milton, Thompson, Alwalot, Barnwell, Keyston, Brington, and all those others I don't have the time to mention. You're moving to your final rest, along with me. This should be plenty compensation for my son to get his limbs back…" Hohenheim glared at the figure with pure hatred and disdain in his eyes, as he proffered the stone. The moment the stone touched the ethereal surface of the silhouette's 'body' his eyes widened in amazement and the shock. As if electrocuted, he quickly withdrew his hand and grabbed Ed, who was sitting near him, throwing him away from the gate. "No! You don't mean that! NO!"_

_The black arms of the gate chased Edward even as he flew towards the few remainders in the whitespace. As he landed, Hawkeye and Winry secure their arms around his waste in a futile attempt to keep the arms at bay. Al sprinted towards them, disappearing even as he did until there was nothing let by the time he had reached them. The final look in his eyes before he fell through the void was one of pure fright; not one for him, but for his brother and those who remained. Izumi soon followed suit until Winry and Hohenheim were the only ones who remained, and Hohenheim had sunken to the floor clutching his head and yelling frantically at himself._

"_Girly… You should let go of him unless you want to go with…" The partially formed man smirked, as the tentacle began to separate Ed from her. As her grip loosened around him, tears began to stream from her eyes at the thought of how devastated everyone would be that she had not been able to save him, and how angry they would be, and… and how much it would hurt to loose him. The gate gave a jerk, but Winry clung to him, the tears pounding down her face with renewed vigor._

"…_inry…" Ed mumbled unintelligibly, as he reach his remaining arm down to wipe the tears from her face._

"_Edward, just don't let go!" She screamed. _Why is he smiling? Why the HELL is he smiling when he's about to get killed? _She screamed inwardly, hating him for every bit of discomfort that he had put her through with his entire foolhardy endeavor._

"_Stop crying Winry… I promised that the next time you cried it would be tears of happiness…" He mumbled again, a little louder. "Just let go… Just go back…"_

"_No Ed! I'm not going back! Not when you're stuck here! How could any of us?" She yelled back at him, fighting to keep her tears down._

_He reached his hand out to brush against her cheek once more, and said, "Just promise you won't cry anymore… And I'll promise I'll come back…"_

_Another jerk broke her hold on him, and he pulled forward so that his arm was the only thing she was left holding. She looked at him with wide and teary eyes, never separating her dark blue ones from his bright golden ones. "Ed… I just can't… Don't… You can't leave us!" She yelled back at him again. The looked in his eyes became hazed and he nodded at her._

"_Goodbye, Winry, and tell Alphonse I'm sorry…" He said as he jerked his arm from her grasp, before being towed backwards toward the portal by those awful black hands. Winry sunk to her knees as she watched him sink through the surface of the gate until only his face was visible. She tried to get up to move towards Ed again, but didn't feel her feet under her. In fact, she couldn't even tell how long it had been since it had returned to 'their' world. _

_As the last of her head melted away into oblivion she yelled out to Edward, "Don't worry Ed! We're coming back for you!"_

_It had only been a few seconds between her leave of the white plane and her return to earth. She was greeted by jovial faces and expectant grins, a look of confusion passing between them when they saw her red eyes and helpless expression. She fell to the ground and stared, unable to believe that Ed was gone… That she hadn't even been able to tell him that…_

"_Winry, where's Ed? Father looked like he was about to get Ed's body back… What happened to them?"_

_She just stared at Al for the longest time, and then fell onto him, surprising all of the group by the volume and depth of her tears. They all looked on in astonishment as Al's grip tightened around Winry and she cried harder. As if he understood something that none of the rest of them had, they all looked to his eyes for confirmation and explanation, of which they found none. He just held Winry tighter, and rocked along with her._

_A/N: Sorry for the kind of somber ending, heh heh. I was originally planning to have it go on longer than that, but it just didn't seem right to go any farther than that :D. I'll try to get a new chapter up in the next week or so, but no promises! Please read, review and tell me what you thought of it! Also, feel free to point out any and all errors that are just getting under your skin, or something you just plain out didn't like. I live to please the readers!_

_Thanks all!_


	2. Chapter 2

Hey guys, here's the next installment :D I hope you all like it, I actually started this quite a while ago, but just started to finish it! Hope to have more out soon for you all! Also, if any of you know about beta-readers and how they work, please tell me in the comments :D

I , in no way, own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters therein.

* * *

_*Splat*_

_He'd become overly used to that sound, it seemed to follow him with increasing tenacity, growing more tiresome each time he heard it. Al held the dead chimera high into the light, and then discarded it and moved forward. He dragged his feet across the rough and uneven stone of the Central sewer system, un-wanting to continue with the job he had been handed, and regretting the various choices that had led him to the position he was now in._

_As expected, shortly after Ed's 'disappearance,' Al had spent every waking moment traveling and researching ways to bring his brother back from the 'other side.' Unfortunately for the Colonel, General Grumman had moved in and seized the Fuhrer's place, creating a deep sea of loathing between the Colonel and the now Fuhrer. Shortly after a particularly fierce verbal spat between the two, the Colonel, had been relocated to the East again, and his staff had been sent to various other military bases around Amestris. As an 'accomplice' of Mustang, and an individual in possession of the 'knowledge' to navigate the Central sewer systems, Al and a select few others had been given the task of purging the sewer and underground of Father's remaining Chimera's, and even a few of the infamous "Immortal Army". It was tedious work, extremely un-rewarding, and perfectly unbefitting of someone such as Al with such a high regard for intelligent life; no matter in what form. But it was what the 'Fuhrer' ordered, and so it was carried out. Shortly after the attempted __Coup d'état, by Mustang and the North, General Grumman and the East had stepped into the fight in-time for the General's troops entrance through the North gate of the palace to be witnessed by the majority of bystanders, and so when he claimed the Fuhrer's seat he was met only by cheers and encouragements. He had allowed Al a spot in the Military only on the terms that he was restricted from speaking to any of the infamous members of Mustang's group, and that he would remain under Grumman's eye during all times. Which was also why the job he was currently doing was an ideal one._

_Al had discovered a veritable gold mine of knowledge lost in books and records underneath Central, countless lost room and hidden passageways, and had discovered ways of generating electricity and creating power from chemical reactions that went unknown to all those that passed above. On top of that, he had been able to store all of these documents and his own research in a hidden room not too far from his own apartment in central. He had begun his work on the transmutation circle to bring his brother back in this room, and had made steady progress in the absence of Grumman's watchful eye. He had found that the energy needed for a retrieval from the great was significantly less than that required to obtain something from the gate; the latter of which was unnecessary as Al had engineered a circle to 'retrieve' Ed's arm and leg from the gate._

_Al strode back towards the ladder leading to the surface, thoughts already anticipating dinner. He strolled along the street whistling a merry tune, waving and greeting people as he passed. As he rounded a corner, his thoughts drifted back to the circle. The way things stood, he could generate enough energy to power the reaction, but he would need to remain to keep the circle open, so someone who had been close to Ed and maintained a strong connection with him would need to be present to guide his soul out, and the only person he know of who so far had that kind of connection was…_

"_Winry! Are you still here Winry?"_

"_I'm in here Al, I was just looking through an old scrap book I found back in Risembool." She called back from his living room._

_Granny Pinako had not been wanting to spend her last years dedicated to work, so she had left for Xing a half a year earlier, excited to visit now that a free passage treaty had been agreed upon by the two nations. Lonely and mournful over Ed, Winry had come to Central and moved into an apartment close to Al's though she spent most of her time over in Al's anyway. The several years since Ed's disappearance had changed them both. Winry was almost 19 now, and Alphonse had just recently turned 18. Al stood a proud 6 feet, boasting well defined muscles and a soft handsome face. His hair had retained its light blonde color, lightening to stray slightly from Ed's pure gold. Winry had also grown, though not as much as Al. Her figure was far more 'womanly' than they had been, and her features had become more refined and elegant. After Ed's disappearance, Winry's eyes were seldom white, favoring the puffy and reddened look of one who had been crying, though she only did it when she was sure no one was looking. After Grumman's ascension, Ed was marked KIA by the military and given an honorable burial, retaining the name Fullmetal and receiving a four rank promotion to Major General. No one but the 5 that had been down in the bowels of Central with him actually knew what had happened, and the official report was that he had been swallowed by the powers of the homunculus during the battle, which had also been covered up._

_Al walked over towards the photo-album, spying a picture of all three of them, Ed, Al, and Winry, huddled around a struggling Den, laughing as he tried to escape the obsessed children. Winry's eyes were watery, and she was often found looking at a scrapbook or a photo, always asking Al if she could help to get Ed back in any way. He always shook his head and told her the time may come, but not now. Today was different._

"_Winry… I don't know any way to say this other than to just come straight out and say it, but I need your help."_

_Her head snapped up from the book, all traces of the emotion that had been there a moment ago replaced by an iron resolve._

"_I need you to go through the circle to help me get Ed back Winry…"_

_She stared at him for a few seconds and nodded, quietly replying, "Alright. Just tell me when, I'll be ready."_

* * *

_It had been almost 7 months since that day, and 3 years since Ed's disappearance, when Alphonse finally called Winry down to his small room beneath central. She entered the dim candle-lit room, and took a seat on one of the many stacks of papers, quickly surveying the room. It was fairly small, only about 30 feet long and 15 feet wide, the center occupied by a large transmutation circle, and the perimeter by desks and filing cabinets._

_Al looked up from the circle and smiled at her. "Cozy isn't it?"_

_Winry let out a small laugh and moved closer to him, her eyes following the intricate carvings of the circle. As opposed to the normal chalk drawn circle, Al had taken the time to carve out each rune and etching into the floor of this small room, ensuring that nothing would or could happen to the circle. "Are you ready?"_

"_As ready as I'll ever be. I've gone over the circle a thousand or more times, and never found anything wrong with it, but I can't get this nagging doubt out of my head." He said as he swiveled his head to look at her._

"_It's alright, I'm sure. It's just your nerves." She smiled back at him._

"_Alright, come over here and put your hands on this, and this, now move your head so that…" He continued to instruct her on what to do for the better part of an hour before he finally took his place at the other side of the circle. "If we do this right, it won't take more than a millisecond, Ed's soul and body will be naturally attracted to yours, and then we'll rope them in."_

_Winry nodded and took a deep breath. _It's alright girl, calm down. You're about to get Edward back!_ She placed her hands on the edges of the circle, and Al moved to do the same. The moment the circle lit up, Al's eyes went wide._

"_It's working! I just need to open the gate!" He yelled to her, "Just one more moment!" Suddenly his faced turned to one of pure horror. "Winry, get your hands off the circle, it's working backwards, we're being drawn to Ed! Hurry!"_

_Letting out a muffled cry, she pulled her hands from the circle, a bright flash accompanying her break from the electric current of the transmutation. Her vision started to blur, her mind becoming fuzzy, until she finally succumbed and fell back into the oblivion occupying the majority of her consciousness…_

* * *

_Winry eased herself up on an elbow, completely disoriented and severely achy, with spots in her vision and a painful lump on the back of her head from where she had hit. She looked across the circle at Al, who was unconscious and sprawled spread eagle across the stone floor. She moved over beside him and shook him in an attempt to rouse him. Slowly he came to, and as he did he looked up with a growing uncertainty in his eyes. Winry was still groggy, and so did not notice Al's speculative glance and suspicious stare as he looked her over._

"_Are you okay Al? I didn't know if I was the only one who passed out back there."_

"_Ummm… Yes…"_

"_Do you want any water? I can go grab some from my apartment if you want, it's closer than yours and I don't have the key on me…"_

_This time the look in Al's eyes changed from uncertainty and suspicion to wide-eyed astonishment paired with pure anger. "You've been __in__ my apartment? Who the hell are you!"_

_Taken aback, Winry backed off from him a little, his Al sized tirade shaking the sleep from her body. In a soft voice she replied, "What do you mean… It's Winry, Al! I've been here in Central for a little over a year!" This time she noticed the change in her voice, and grasped at her throat with both hands, a small squeak escaping from her mouth._

"_Winry… What the hell happened to you? You're… You're…" Al stuttered out before shaking his head. He turned and cast around for something, and came up with a small shard of mirror from one of the desks. Wordlessly, he handed it to her, and when she clutched it in her hand, she noticed that her arms had become longer and her hands were now bigger. Unwilling to look down at herself yet, she brought the mirror to eye level but closed her eyes did not look into it._

"_Al, is it really that bad? Do I look horrible now?" She whispered to him, unable to keep the tremors out of her voice._

"_Not at all… Terrible is far from it… But… I didn't even know it was you…"_

_Winry swallowed past the knot in her throat and gathered all of the courage she could muster. And then she asked the question that was pressing deeper than the one concerning her body. "Is Ed… Back?"_

_Al eyes lost focus as a look of extreme sadness passed over his features. He opened his mouth and then shut it. "No and yes… I'll explain it when I know exactly… but…" He replied, offering more questions instead of an answer. "But for now, you're the priority."_

_She swallowed again and raised the mirror to her face, daring herself to look into the reflection. She stood there for what could have been an hour before she finally gathered the necessary courage to peek. And boy, what she saw had her coming back again for a longer look. She raised her hand to her face and ran it over soft skin, trailing up to brush her still long blonde hair, and then coming down to rest on the defined cheekbone outlining her face in its new shape. She knew why Al had been so confused, even her ear piercings were gone, the blonde hair falling in a tangled wreath around her face. Her blatantly, obviously, and completely, male face._

* * *

_Central Command was in turmoil. Several riots had erupted in the south district, all wanting a full explanation or a search of the entire central sewer system. Ever since the news about the "Weeders," as those who had the occupation of removing chimeras and other possibly harmful things from the sewers were referred to as, had been released to the press, the people had been on a non-stop rampage in demanding that the entire sewer system was checked by the military in case there really was something down there. And now they had the grounds to demand a full search. Less than an hour ago, a small quake had rocked the entire south district of Central, stirring up peoples' worries once again and preparing them to go through all necessary to demand a full search. With absolutely no way to deal with the riots, the Fuhrer had decided that the Weeder of the area, Alphonse Elric, would be the one to talk to all those in the south district with questions about the quake._

_Fuhrer Grumman leaned back in his chair, requesting one of his secretaries send a message to the Elric boy. Now, being Fuhrer really isn't that hard now is it?_

* * *

_Winry had entered a comatose like state after her discovery, remaining frozen while Alphonse tried uselessly to rouse her. After a final success, she had then moved to conduct a full body examination in front of Al. She found that she had retained many of her features, but that nearly all of them had broadened, grown, extended, or "contorted" (as she thought of it) to lend her body a more masculine stature. She now stood about 5 feet and ten inches, falling only 2 short of Al. She had well defined lean arms, a good wide chest, and a handsome face; all of the things that Winry would have looked for in a man, and all of the things that she had found in Edward. Aside from the height. The one place that she had yet to explore was her new part… She just couldn't bring herself to look at it yet._

_Al had also been astonished at first, and unable to think straight, but Winry 'search' had reminded him that he needed to find out if Ed was still over _there. _During the search, Al had decided to try and figure out what the error had been in his circle, and when coming to no conclusion, did the calculations to find out what could happen if the person being transported had fallen into the marginal possibility that it did not work as intended, as it had (or had not? I'm confused too :P). After several hours, he sighed and leaned back from the desk to look at the still astonished Winry._

"_Ed is alive, and I think he's in Amestris." Al concluded._

_Winry perked up immediately, focusing her eyes on Al's. "Really? Where is he!"_

"_That's the thing… " Al lowered his gaze, "I'm not sure. But there aren't many possible locations… So far I've only been able to see that the 10 vertices of the countrywide transmutation circle still have vast alchemic pull, so could have thrown off my calculations and drawn him in there instead. The most likely of these is the Briggs Stronghold, as it was the last point on the circle to be created, and the only one where the hole breached the surface; which I think that we should visit first, just for that reason." _

"_Alright… Then let's pack our bags and head up to Briggs!" Winry spoke up animatedly, a schedule of train times and carriage fares already in her head._

"_I need to get formal papers in order to state my temporary leave from the military, which will take a few days to be approved… Do you think you could hang on and use the time to learn about you 'new body?'"_

_Winry blushed an unbefitting shade of crimson, and looked down at herself again. "I- I- I think I c-can…"_

_Al smiled back at her, the happiness growing in his eyes. "Winry, we're going to get Ed back!"_

_Al returned home later that night to find a note stamped to his door, requesting that he become immediately available to answer any and all questions that may emerge as a result of the quake several hours ago. _Lazy Fuhrer doesn't even want to do anything for his own country… He just wants to sit back and enjoy the power … _Al mused as he stared at the letter, before shaking his head. _I have to reject this, or we won't be able to go and look for Ed… Everybody in Central is so on edge since all that business with the homunculus. Oh well, this might be the opportunity I've been looking for…

_He hurried up to his study and scraped everything off of his desk, searching for something he hadn't needed for a few years. When he finally found the tiny scrap of paper, he gripped it in his hand and strode to the phone, dialing the numbers written there._

_East headquarters could not have been more boring, and on top of that it brought back all the painful memories of the countless chess games he'd played with the old man. Mustang leaned back at his desk, looking at the clear and polished oak surface. He couldn't remember any time to date that his desk had been this clear, but since his re-location to the East, he had been unable to find anything else to do but paperwork. Whenever it was brought in, he would finish it off quickly, and then hop on the phone with a girl that he had charmed, or speak to his subordinates across the country. Things had quieted down considerably for him too, and he almost missed the exhilaration of chasing homunculus. Almost. Just like all of the others, he had found himself missing the small golden alchemist, and had seen the devastation his disappearance had caused Winry and Alphonse, though neither would admit it. With all of that said and done, he had challenged Grumman's ethics in moving the Ishvalans away from Central back to organized camps around the original city of Ishval, and then been separated from his subordinates and sent to the desolate east. Honestly, nothing __ever_ _happened in the east, with the last being the methodical destruction in Liore. He remembered hearing Ed and Al's recount of their overthrowing of the founder Cornello, and the exposition of his fraud in the religion of 'Leto.' He was just starting to think of the brothers again, when he heard his phone ring, without a thought, he picked it up and greeted the caller._

"_Colonel Mustang's Office."_

"_Colonel! I have a favor I need to ask of you." Al's innocent voice poked through the line._

Speak of the devil…_ Mustang thought blandly, changing his tone from an standard military greeting to the lazy and bored tone he felt more appropriately fit his mood. "Hello Alphonse, what do you need?"_

"_I was just calling to see if Winry and I would be able to stay with you for a few days. We need to do something, and it's going to be a great opportunity to get off of Grumman's radar."_

_Something in the back of Mustang's mind was itching, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "Yes, that's alright Alphonse, when do you need to be here and how long will it be?" Mustang mentally recorded all of the information that Al gave him, and then rung a nearby hotel to book a room for them. He used false credentials for the two, and the called Falman in the North to see if he could forge identities for them. They wouldn't be in the East city for a week or two, so he was given plenty of time to operate and prepare for the younger boy's arrival. Still, something in the back of his mind was giving him a headache and he couldn't quite figure out what it was. He knew this behavior was abnormal for Al, who would have usually gone through the proper registration for a predetermined leave of absence, but since he was planning to just vanish from Central, whatever it is must be too urgent for that… The only things that he could think of that would make Al shirk his duties were Winry, Pinako, and… Ed._

* * *

_It ended up being a month before Al and Winry were both able to amply prepare for their flight from central. Winry had just begun to get used to her new body when she encountered one of the more confusing male 'aspects.' About a week after she had become male, she came running out of the shower to Al, who almost fainted at the sight of another naked man in his apartment completely nude and wither … exposed… Well you get the picture. She poked it for a few moments before asking Al why it was all hard and long like that, and how she made it go back to normal. With a deep shade of crimson highlighting his face, Al told Winry to go put some pants on, and to come back when she was clothed and dried. She came back about 5 minutes later with a distinctly smaller member, but kept asking Al to explain what had happened. These were probably, and probably will remain, the most embarrassing moments of Alphonse Elric's entire life, having to explain to a girl in a boy's body the functions of the male genital organ, and then was asked to directly explain what the erection was for… Which brought it to a whole new level of embarrassing. Since her 'transformation' Winry had not had the courage to leave the house, even for a few minutes, which made things much easier for Al, though he would not admit it. By not having anything moved in her apartment for weeks, and with her new body, it would look like Winry left Central several days before Al did, and that presumably they had gone to different places. But none of that mattered at the moment, because all they were focused on was finding what else might have happened to Ed as a result of Al's faulty transmutation circle. Al desperately hoped that Ed was ok and just waiting for him, with body fully intact and unchanged. He knew it was a vain improbable wish, but he hoped still. Their search plans had also changed, with Liore being the first stop on their search for Ed, as it was close to the Central headquarters, and because it was the second or third most likely place for Ed to have gone. That was if he was on Earth at all, and not trapped in Limbo or oblivion. Al tried to shove thoughts like that to the back of his mind, but they were always there, making him feel increasingly guilty for his inability to even properly bring his brother back when he had done so much for Al. He pondered on these for many a sleepless night, and eventually came to the conclusion that none of it mattered until he had at least tried to search for Ed… It would be a long few weeks._

_It was two weeks after the incident in the shower when they were finally ready to leave for the East headquarters. The Colonel had sent both of them two possible identities with papers included, two male for Al and unfortunately two female for Winry. A cross-dresser had not even been an option with Winry's new large frame, she had decided to take Al's second passport, of which he changed the picture, birth date, and other information to match Winry's. All except for the name. When he reached that part, he had looked over at Winry, and found she was starring at the same spot on the paper he was._

"_Do you want me to choose you a name, or do you want to choose it yourself? My alias will be Hank Bennit, so we can either choose to be 'brothers' or un-related; your choice."_

_Winry looked at the paper for a few more minutes, her mind tumbling, before she turned to Al and said, "Alright, you can choose it, but I want the same last name as you."_

_Al looked back down at the paper and smiled, before transmuting the print again to form its new characters. "Ha, it fits perfectly too!" He smiled._

_Winry peered over his shoulder at the smooth and neat writing on the paper, a silly grin creeping across her face as she read it._

"_Winter Bennit, leave it to you to think of a name like that Alphonse!" She laughed, and he smiled back._

"_Well that's it then. We can leave now if you'd like."_

_She considered it before moving to the room over and returning with both of their suitcases. "Alright, let's get going then, before Ed packs up and comes looking for us."_

_Al smiled again, glad to see that Winry was as happy as he was that they were finally going to get Ed back, despite the possible complications. He took his suitcase from her and threw open the door to the street, grinning widely in the bright sunlight of the midday sun._

* * *

_The east of Amestris had never been at such a quiet and peaceful standstill. Jobs were plentiful and wealth was abundant, as over the years since the removal of the false religion of the sun god Leto, people had begun to rely on each other rather than the gods to solve their problems. The rebuilding of Liore had taken several years, but had not ceased when the building was complete; growing until it was half the size of east city. As a now important trade route between the ally country Xing and Amestris, Liore served as a trading post for many rare, exotic, and sometimes illegal, objects. News and gossip were more valuable than any gem in that area, luckily so since it was so common-place._

_Rose walked through the streets of the small city, trying to remember the cheapest place to get her groceries without having to sacrifice the quality. "Alright, I need eggs, milk, bread, sugar…" She read off her list to herself, as she walked down the street, picking up idle bits of gossip along the way. She really did find it amazing how fast news could travel, and all of the crazy rumors that were actually passed on and not disregarded. The latest point of interest was a flash that had accompanied a great noise a few miles to the east of Liore, a week or two ago. Apparently, a giant column of light had lit up the surrounding desert and made a humongous noise; but when the traveling traders had reached the spot there was nothing left to be seen. The story was one of those that amused people, but was never actually taken seriously—And, so, was discarded by most as merely a fanciful piece of talk to amuse the traders during their long days at the stalls._

_She strolled down the main street of Liore, until she found—in her opinion—the nicest place in all of Liore; the caf__é where she had met Ed and Al for the first time. Al had to come to visit her once since the trigger of the country wide circle, and she had been happy to see him, but extremely disappointed to learn that Ed could not come due to 'complications,' though Al assured her that he would come as soon as possible. It had been like losing her boyfriend and Leto all over again when she heard the radio broadcast of Ed's Eulogy, and learned the full story of how he had been declared KIA by the military and then established as the Hero of Amestris. She had expected Al to come back and explain to her what had happened, but Al had not come, and she had heard no word from him until a Colonel in the military by the name of Roy Mustang had come by to give her a message from Al. The message had only said "I'm sorry I didn't have the heart to tell you, but don't be sad over Ed, he'd hate that." But she had still had to read it a few more times before she was able to accept that Ed was actually gone. She still liked to come to this place every once in a while, but not often enough to be considered a regular anymore._

_She walked up to the counter and asked for a small plate of food, and sat down as she waited. She began to drift off again when a nostalgic voice greeted her ears. "Rose! How are you?"_

_She turned around to see Al walking toward her with a tall man with about nine or ten inch blonde hair and a lean build. She ran forward and encircled Al in an ecstatic hug, and then looked him in the eyes. "You never come by anymore Al! You didn't even stop by after Ed di— disappeared."_

"_I'm sorry Rose, things have just been so busy in Central, and Fuhrer Grumman wouldn't even let me leave after brother was officially declared 'dead.' But that's alright, because me and Winr— Winter think might know where Ed is!"_

_Rose's face lit up again, as she beamed at Al. "Really Al? That's great! Where is he?"_

_The second man, 'Winter,' spoke up this time, "You're awfully interested aren't you?" He remarked, with a dangerous gleam in his eyes._

_Rose eyed him carefully. _The way he said it almost sounded like— _Her eyes widened considerably in shock, and she barely was able to conceal the disappointment and sadness in her voice and face. "Oh! Don't tell me you and Ed were—"_

"_NO! No no no no no no! It's nothing like that I swear!" The 'Winter' boy shouted out. "I'm only concerned about what would happen if the Fuhrer found out!"_

_Almost subconsciously Rose felt her defenses go down, and she felt more comfortable around the man now that she knew he wasn't a threat. "Oh, alright then! It's nice to meet you— Winter was it?"_

"_No it's— Oh yes, nice to meet you, Winter Bennit." He bowed to her, and came back up slightly blushing._

"_Well if there's anything I can do for you two while you're in town, please tell me." Rose said while performing a slight curtsy in return to Winter's awkward bow._

* * *

"_It's funny that you mention that Rose, because there is something you can do…" Al replied quietly._

_Al had not necessarily been surprised to run into Rose, but it had been a stroke of luck that she had not recognized Winry. In fact no one had at first. On their way out of Central, Winry had gotten a rough haircut, so it was still relatively long, coming down to her chin, but a fair bit more boyish than the previous haircut. When they had arrived at East headquarters, the Colonel had instantly recognized Al, but had been confused by 'Winter.' When Al explained briefly the circumstances to him, they could've sworn they had heard the fuses in his head blowing. After a half hour of explanations he had finally been able to accept Winry's new gender, but had still been confused on the whole business with Ed. When Al had elucidated the subject and made it clear that they might be able to get Ed back, the Colonel had instantly made all of his resources disposable to them, and told them he would also help in any way. Though he would not admit it either, he had missed the small golden Alchemist, and wanted to see him back as much as the others. Al and Winry had left to their hotel and spent the night, departing in the early hours for Liore. Then had reached there by about noon, and wandered to the original café that they had come to their first time, and approached Rose where she sat at the bar._

"_It's funny that you mention that Rose, because there is something you can do…" Al replied, "Have there been any strange happenings in Liore?"_

_Rose thought for a moment before remembering all the gossip, "I'm not sure if it's true, but the traders have been talking about a bright pillar of light a few miles to the east of here… You can probably be there and back if you leave soon. Why? Does it have to do with Ed?"_

_Ed nodded while Winry's brow furrowed, obviously displeased at the show of care and affection for Ed by the other girl._

"_Thank you Rose! We'll make sure to come by again before we leave!"_

_They exchanged another hug before Al headed off towards the East edge of town with Winry in tow._

_They walked in the desert for several hours before they returned back to the city. Any and all possible markings that had been left behind were gone, and not even alchemy could help to find residue unless you knew what kind you were looking for._

"_This is going to be impossible if we don't think of a better way to do this." Al commented as he and Winry walked through the market district. "What do you think we should do? "_

"_I don't know Al… You and Ed were the ones who did all this before! Besides, the desert surrounding Liore is so __big__!" She said, flinging her hands out for emphasis. Her right hand caught the side of the head of a golden haired boy standing about a head shorter than Winry, and knocked him to the ground. Winry cringed, expecting the boy to get back up and yell at her, brandishing some type of weapon to hit her with, but to her surprise the boy didn't do anything. Winry looked down at the small boy, and bent down to be on eye level with him. "I'm really sorry! I didn't know you were there, and I didn't mean to catch you with my hand!" Winry offered the boy her hand to help him up, but the boy ignored it and clambered up to his feet on his own. Winry winced as she saw that the red mark caused by her hand was painfully visible on the boy's clear and pale face. Winry began to start another apology, but was silenced as the boy held up his hand. He stood 8 inches shorter than Winry, with bangs that reminded her painfully of Ed, though they were longer and covered almost the entire top half of his face. His hand was small and delicate, and he had a petite sort of body, looking likely around 12 or 13. He turned quickly and darted back off into the crowd, leaving Al and Winry there alone._

_Winry and Al looked around the market for several more minutes before finally gathering the supplies they deemed necessary and heading off back to the hotel._

_They walked in silence down the fairly crowded main-street for a few moments, until Winry stumbled on a small crack in the street and started the conversation. "The streets here aren't as good as the ones in Central, there are so many potholes and cracks I'm surprised someone has gotten seriously injur—aaah!" She cried even as she stumbled on another of the cracks. She faltered sideways and almost tripped, knocking into another person before regaining her balance. She stood there dazed for a few moments, and bent down to check the ankle she had just twisted, to see if it was hurt, before surveying the road around her to see who she'd hit. To her horror, the same boy from earlier, was scrabbling at the ground trying to pick up the groceries he'd dropped when Winry had knocked into him, but everything he heaped into his arms just kept falling back out onto the street. Al was already on the ground helping him, and Winry rushed over to apologize and see if she could help. _This kid must think I have it out for him or something, I hope he's okay and not too mad at me…

_As soon as they had helped him to get everything into his arms, he jumped up and ran home, muttering something about being late and how he had to get ready. In his hurry a small metallic object fell out of his coat and onto the ground near Winry, who bent down to pick up the odd object. It was about 4 inches long and was tapered at one end, with three joints and another end that made it look as though it had been part of a larger contraption at one time, as it looked roughly cut through._

"_Wait! You dropped something." She yelled after him, but he had already run out of earshot. "C'mon Al, he dropped this, we should take it back to him, after knocking him down twice, I don't want to steal from him…" Al nodded to her, and they ran up the street after the boy. _

_The boy disappeared down a small side street and followed an intricate combination of alley paths and dashing along the main streets, until he finally arrived at house near where Al and Winry had come into town. Winry stepped up and knocked on the door of the house, hearing a muffled call of "I'm coming," from inside. To their own and her surprise a slightly tired looking Rose stepped out from inside of the house and looked them over._

"_Is everything okay you guys? Did you hear about Ed?" She asked while searching their bodies for injuries._

"_No, actually we bumped I into someone," Winry winced at that, "and we think they dropped something, so we followed them here. Do you have anyone staying with you?" Al asked._

_Winry withdrew the small silvery object from her pocket, and showed it to Rose, who opened the door and let them in. "Yes, I think she'd be awfully sad if she lost that," she commented absent mindedly, "it's that room at the end of the hall." Winry nodded and headed off to the room Rose had directed her to and then she invited Al into the small kitchen._

"_I didn't know you had someone staying here." Al commented as he and Rose sat down at her kitchen table. "How long has he been here?"_

"_Not too long, about a week maybe. What happened with Winter?"_

"_Sh-He tripped a little on a small crack in the road and knocked that boy to the ground, and it wasn't the first time either." Al chuckled, "He must hate Winter by now, he's been hit twice by him, once at the market too. What's his name?"_

"_Oh, it's not a 'he.'" Rose giggled, "She's quite the boyish girl though, she seems almost embarrassed. And on top of that, I don't know what she's trying to hide, she's very cute! Tonight was special though, she agreed to dress up and come with me to the festival! I hope that she likes the outfit I picked out, I spent all day trying to find something that would suit her. I wonder if she's changed yet—" Rose clapped her hands to her mouth in surprise at something she evidently had not considered. "I forgot to tell Winter to knock first! She's probably changing!"_

_A girlish scream and a resounding *smack* echoed down the hall and a dazed Winry stumbled out of the open doorway. _

"— _It's that door at the end of the hall." Winry nodded and headed off._

This house is a lot bigger than it looks like from the outside._ Winry mused as she headed off down the hall. _I hope he's not too mad at me for bumping into him so many times, he must think I have something against him by now. _Winry thought as her hand lingered on the doorknob, hesitant to turn it. She sat there and considered the possible ways of apologizing to him without seeming overly eager. When she finally came to the obvious solution of just explaining the accidents and hoping for the best, she twisted the knob and let herself in. "Hey I just wanted to apologize for—"_

_Winry froze at the sight in front of her as she felt a light blush creep to her cheeks and begin to darken as she took in the scene before her. The 'boy' she had bumped into on the street and in the market district was standing in front of a dresser fully unclothed and holding a bra. Normally this would have been an odd scene because of the fact that there was a boy holding a bra, but not this time... This time the blush on Winry's cheeks was caused by the two breasts on the 'boy's' chest. Her mind had come to stop. The only thing that mattered to her were those two beautiful fixtures on the girl's chest, and thoughts of what would happen if she would just turn around. The gears in Winry's mind began to grind back to life as she processed what she was seeing, and what she had just thought. Then she noticed the mirror resting comfortably and conveniently on top of the dresser, which the girl happened to be facing, without a bra. This time the reaction was more dramatic, and the gears didn't just stop __moving,__ she snapped the gears in half and then buried them in the recesses of her mind; but that didn't matter, because the mirror had almost instantaneously become the most important thing in the world. All of this happened in about half a second, as the girl began to do an about face to see 'Winter' standing there gaping at her naked body. And all Winry did was stand there and gawk._

_She snapped to attention as a loud "Kyaaaaaa!" rocked her out of her reverie and the hard palm of the small girl found its mark on the left side of Winry's face, knocking her out of the room and into the wall on the opposite side. But Winry wasn't even considering what had just happened, too busy with her own confusion. _

* * *

What was I _thinking_? I've seen my own all my life, so what was that!_ "Ooooh… What's happening to me…" Winry wondered to herself even as the door slammed shut infront of her._

* * *

That's the end of this one :D I love you all, and hope you keep reading! Please leave a review if you have the time, it's great to know what you all are thinking!

Edit: I don't know why, but for some reason it won't save some of the lines that I put in between paragraphs... Nothing major, I'm sure you all can figure out what's happening regardless, but just a heads up :D


	3. Author Note

Hey everyone! I had meant to get an update up by now, but life has caught up with me and I'm swamped again _. I also fractured my shoulder quite recently snowboarding, and being in a sling constantly has its disadvantages when typing... Oh well, I should have a nice long chappie for all of you who are enjoying my story soon.

Thanks again to all of you have been reviewing, I get quite a bit of inspiration just from seeing all the positive and negative critique you all leave me. Thank you so much!


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